Is it appropriate to wear black when mourning the looming exodus of the most joyful comedy on Broadway? Probably not. Still, the idea of saying goodbye to You Can’t Take It With You’s lovingly loopy Sycamore family and their extended family of, well, anyone who shows up on their doorstep, sends me to my saddest of sad places. I mean, really – how can one muster “perky” when waving goodbye to James Earl Jones’s puckish Grandpa... or Annaleigh Ashford’s clumsily sprightly ballerina... or Julie Halston’s free-wheeling dipsomaniac?

Indeed, this all-too-brief revival of George Kaufman and Moss Hart’s 1930s family farce arrived on Broadway overflowing with a flawless cast of veteran performers who are clearly having the time of their lives on the stage of Broadway’s Longacre Theatre. Kristine Nielsen... Reg Rogers... Patrick Kerr... Elizabeth Ashley, for God’s sake. And the two replacement cast members – Anna Chlumsky (for Rose Byrne) and Richard Thomas (for Mark Linn-Baker) -- are a flawless fit.

Anna Chlumsky and James Earl Jones shine in You Can't Take It With You

No wonder I – and everyone else who has been privy to this near-perfect night of retro shenanigans – are compelled to cry out: “Don’t go... please don’t go!” But go they must. The last performance of You Can’t Take It With You will take place this Sunday (February 22nd). If you haven’t seen it – or feel the cold grim winter entitles you to a second or third go-round – scoop up your tickets today while the fireworks (literally) still fly!